When people discovered there were no ballots to vote for president, only parliament members, they grabbed the ballot boxes and threw them over a field.
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Al-Shabaab attacked the capital, Kampala, six years ago, but the nation has remained relatively free of terrorism despite sending troops to fight the militants in neighboring Somalia.
The vote delay saw some polling stations open as late as 4 p.m., which led to chaotic scenes and even confrontations between voters and the police.
A woman carrying a baby on her back casts her ballot at a polling station in Kampala.
She said the commission is announcing results according to tallies from polling stations, not according to districts as had been expected.
Besigye, too, has said he does not expect the election to be free and fair.
Kizza Besigye was arrested in the Kampala suburb of Naguru, where he had gone to investigate alleged ballot-stuffing in a house run by the intelligence agencies, said Shawn Mubiru, who is in charge of communications for Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change party.
Many people complained of an apparent shutdown of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook when they couldn’t open those sites on their computers and phones.
As of 1600 GMT on Thursay, our correspondent said that voting in some areas was still ongoing, after officials extended it due to the delay in the opening.
“It’s a security matter and I can not answer on behalf of security”, he told The Associated Press. Violence between police and activists, as well as allegations of voter fraud, have tarred Uganda’s past elections.
While this is a competitive election, Museveni has a strong advantage as the incumbent, including favorable media coverage and support from security forces. Those who arrive at polling stations in time should be allowed to vote, he said.
Besigye, who was released after about three hours, was detained after attempting to police call center he suspected was being used to store illegal election materials, Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango said.
“Without clearly defined security concerns, this closure is nothing but an exercise in censorship as Ugandans elect their leaders”, said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director.
About the delay, he explained: “We did not have enough vehicles to transport the materials to different polling stations that’s why there was a delay”.
The European Union (EU) Chief Observer of the election told reporters earlier that the process in different parts of the country was peaceful.
“This old man who has saved the country, how do you want him to go?” A recent study by an independent civil society group found that he has spent more than $7-million (U.S.) on his current presidential election campaign.
Other voters say the idea of “change” makes them nervous. “Nothing will discourage me”.
Besigye is among seven candidates vying to end Museveni’s three-decade grip on power in Africa’s biggest coffee exporter.
An election-monitoring group had warned that western Jinja was one of the areas most likely to see violence around the voting.
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The 71-year-old Museveni took power in 1986 and pulled Uganda out of years of chaos after a guerrilla war. He is also campaigning on promises of reform. He said he will continue “the struggle” in other ways if he loses, suggesting a protest movement similar to the one that followed the last election in 2011.
